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By Alex Frazier
Talk about happy endings – this was it.
After qualifying for their first state soccer tournament last week, the Pennridge girls followed that up by shocking No. 1 seed Central Bucks South, 2-0, in the District One semifinals to play for their first district championship.
“I’m so ecstatic I don’t know what to say,” said junior midfielder Sarah Senoyuit, who scored the insurance goal. “We worked so hard for this and everything paid off. Oh, my goodness.”
Pennridge had twice lost to South during the regular season, once by a 1-0 score and the other by 2-1 score in overtime.
“The third time is the charm, I guess,” said Senoyuit.
The loss is the Titans first of the season after going 14-0 in the Continental Conference.
“They came to play and we didn’t,” said South coach Joe Bocklet. “They just beat us to every single ball. They played outstanding.”
The Lady Rams will face No. 2 Neshaminy - a 1-0 victor over Souderton in the other semifinal - on Thursday night at 8 p.m. at War Memorial Field, while the Lady Titans take on the Big Red for third place at 5:45 p.m.
According to Senoyuit, the secret to the Rams’ success was a change in formations to a 4-4-2, which allowed them to match up better with the Titans’ center midfielders.
“We switched that up and played it really well,” she said.
The Rams escaped a potential goal when keeper Shannon Zickler broke up a fastbreak with the game scoreless in the first half.
“Maybe we score that, it might have changed things,” said Bocklet. “We might have had some nerves.”
Megan Gurecki scored the game winner with just 25 seconds left in the first half.
The Lady Rams didn’t allow their momentum to wane during the intermission, but came out storming in the second half.
Senoyuit took a cross from Bridgette Hess and headed it in just two minutes into the half.
“We’ve done that sequence a million times,” she said. “I didn’t realize it until afterwards that I had scored. I was at the right place at the right time.”
•••
For a good part of the game, a depleted Souderton defense withstood a barrage from No. 2 seed Neshaminy, as the Redskins outshot Souderton 16-5.
Starting defenders Ann Jefferis (separated shoulder) and Gracie Chernuka (concussion) were watching from the sidelines, forcing coach Terry Underkoffler to improvise.
He moved starting keeper Becca Chylack to the line, knowing she could win 50/50 balls and replaced her with junior Emily Dwyer, who was starting just her second game. Playing Chylack up also allowed Underkoffler to platoon Ingrid Moyer, who was hobbled with an ankle injury. And to shore up the defense, he moved Sarah Conroy to right back.
But when you are playing against the likes of Brianna Hires and Jen Hutchinson, it’s only a matter of time before they find the net.
While the Redskins had very few scoring chances in the first 40 minutes, they were swarming in the second. Hires had one good opportunity in the first half following a direct kick, but Dwyer was there at the left post to make the save.
In the second half, the Redskins played the ball wider more often, allowing more dangerous opportunities. Hannah Suffrin fired a shot just wide right five minutes into the second half. A minute later there was a quick bang-bang sequence in which Kimber Kisselback dinged a shot off the underside of the crossbar that ricocheted to Samantha Kerr, who fired the ball over the goal.
With 29 minutes left, Hutchinson sent a great cross to Hires, who also booted it over the goal.
“It was frustrating,” said Hires. “We know we have to keep taking shots, keep pressuring.”
Finally at the 23:58 mark, Suffrin lofted a pass from the left flank to Hires in front. She managed to get a foot on it, directing it inside the left post for her 19th tally of the season.
“The ball was kind of bobbling,” said Hires. “It was kind of a toe-poke actually. I got a lucky bounce.”
“The second half we stepped it up a lot,” said Neshaminy coach Rich Reice.
Souderton’s best chance came two minutes later when Courtney Silbert unleashed a laser from the left side, but Chelsea Rota was there to grab it.
The Indians nearly had a breakaway with just over four minutes left when Silbert sent a through pass to a streaking Becca Inman, but she was called offsides on the play.
“Souderton did a nice job,” said Reice. “They stayed within themselves; they stayed organized in the back.”
“We had chances too,” said Underkoffler. “We didn’t make the goalkeeper dive; we didn’t test her low to the corners. That was the difference.”
Despite the loss, Underkoffler was quick to note the unflagging play of midfielders Emily Farrell and Cait Conroy.
“They did some nice work in midfield,” he said. “The girls tonight logged 80 minutes. They were contesting balls all over the field. I’m happy and proud of how hard they played and the effort.”
Neshaminy will be playing in the district championship game for only the second time and the first since losing to Council Rock North in penalty kicks in either 2002 or 2003, Reice wasn’t sure which.
“It’s going to be a good game,” said Hires. “We have to come out and play come out hard for every ball. We’re really excited about it.”
The last two years the Redskins lost in the semifinals.
South, meanwhile, will try to bounce back against Souderton in the consolation game.
“With all the success we’ve had, you don’t get to enjoy the successes without tasting defeat as well, so maybe this puts us back on our toes and gets us re-focused on the task at hand,” said Bocklet. “We also know we can’t come out without intensity, without aggression, without patience in defensive posture. Being in this type of environment is new to them, and so they get a chance to learn from it and respond on Thursday.”
Neshaminy 1, Souderton 0
Goals: Brianna Hires (N)
Assists: Hannah Suffrin (N)
Shots: Neshaminy 16, Souderton 5
Saves: Chelsea Rota (N) 3, Emily Dwyer (S) 9
Corners: Neshaminy 3, Souderton 0
Fouls: Neshaminy 5, Souderton 6
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